Into the Garden (Wildflowers 5)

"What about... her?"

"We bury her," Misty said, lifting her arms as if the answer was obvious.

"Bury her? Us? How? Where?"

Misty turned to me.

"What about your backyard?" she suggested.

"My backyard?"

"Yeah. Does anyone ever go there?"

"No, we're walled in and we don't have a gardener anymore. She thought it was an unnecessary expense," I said.

"Right," Misty said, "so the backyard will be perfect."

"Perfect? You're going to carry her out and bury her?"

Jade asked incredulously.

"Well, not by myself. Star?"

"I suppose we could do it," Star said, musing. She paused and turned sharply to me. "Do you have a Bible?" she asked me.

"Yes, right there," I said, pointing to it on the corner table by the sofa. "She read it often."

"What's a Bible have to do with anything?" Jade asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"I've been to enough funerals to know what to say. You read a psalm," she added "Did she have a favorite?"

"I don't think so," I said.

"You're all crazy," Jade said. "We can't do this We can't just bury her."

"Why not?" Misty asked.

"We can if Cat's got a shovel," Star said. "Do you have a shovel?" she asked me.

"In the garage," I said. "The shovels are kept along the wall, in their proper place."

"Get a clean bedsheet to use as a shroud," Star ordered.

'Wait," Jade said before I could move. 'This is against the law, you know. You don't just bury someone without a death certificate."

"What choice do we have?" Star asked her. "You said yourself they'll send her away. Look at her, Jade. Do you want her to be forced to live with strangers. She had it tough enough as it was living here, didn't she?"

"Maybe we should talk to Doctor Marlowe," Jade suggested.

"What? You know as soon as you tell about her," Star said, nodding at Geraldine, "it's over. This is a secret we either all keep in here," she said, putting her right palm over her heart, "until the day we die, or not. Make up your mind now and forever, I say."

"I swear I'll never tell," Misty quickly agreed. "We can do a bond of blood or something, if you like."

Jade smirked.

"We don't need that silly stuff."

"It's not any sillier than what you did at your house with the candle," Misty countered, offended.